J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc.  2016 Nov;55(4):357-364. 10.4306/jknpa.2016.55.4.357.

Admission Status Conversion from Voluntary into Involuntary, Is It Illegal

• Yoon JS
• Joo YH
• Ahn JH
• Kim CY

• KMID: 2361224
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4306/jknpa.2016.55.4.357

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The current Korean Mental Health Act (KMHA) indicates that a patient, who voluntarily gave their permission for admission into a mental health facility, has the right to be discharged upon personal request. However, there is no clause in the KMHA that allows a change in a patient's voluntary status under special circumstances. The purpose of this study was to investigate problems that may arise from the lack of such a clause ; problems that can result in misinterpretation and lead to the prohibition of voluntary admission status conversion.
METHODS
Previous cases presented to the National Human Rights Commission of Korea were investigated in order to determine the current state in Korean psychiatric practice regarding the conversion from voluntary to involuntary admission status. In addition, examples of similar mental health legislation in use by the United Nations (UN), World Health Organization (WHO), and several advanced countries pertaining to such conversions were investigated. These examples were used as models for making recommendations for possible changes to the KMHA.
RESULTS
From 2010 to 2014, more than 220 petitions were filed with the National Human Right Commission of Korea. The petitions involved voluntarily institutionalized patients who had their requests for discharge rejected. Based on mental health regulations of the UN, WHO, and such countries as the United States, England, Canada, Australia, and Japan, the KMHA should include a provision that, upon receiving a discharge request, allows for discharge refusal if the voluntarily admitted patient is considered not mentally fit.
CONCLUSION
The results suggest that the absence of a regulation allowing admission status conversion in the current KMHA is inappropriate. Rectification of this absence is urgently needed.

Keyword

Voluntary admission; Involuntary admission; Admission status conversion; Admission status change; Mental health law

MeSH Terms

Australia
Canada
England
Human Rights
Humans
Japan
Korea
Mental Health
Patient Admission
Social Control, Formal
United Nations
United States
World Health Organization

Reference

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